Merck's New Alchemist

As a hotshot scientist at the Cambridge (Mass.)-based Whitehead Institute during the 1990s, Peter S. Kim never let minor obstacles stand in his way. Whitehead, the renowned biomedical research center affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, didn't have quick access to powerful X-ray technology for Kim's protein structure research. So he persuaded higher-ups to foot the multimillion-dollar bill for new equipment that would allow immediate use of the super-powerful X-ray source at the government's Argonne National Laboratory. "His influence carried weight up to the highest levels," says Phillip A. Sharp, a Nobel laureate and biologist who is a professor at MIT, where Kim also taught.

The 44-year-old Kim will need that vision and drive in his new role at Merck & Co. (MRK ) On Dec. 2, Merck announced that Kim, who became a scientific superstar at Whitehead doing research into viruses like HIV, will take over as chief of the drugmaker's $2.7 billion research and development operation at the start of 2003.